The Krasses take matters of their house into their own hands

Raising the Roof

By Brianna Snyder/Life@Home

They say if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

When Paul and J’Lene Krass consulted several different contractors to remodel the first floor of their Saratoga home, none of them seemed able or willing to do what the Krasses wanted. In fact, some contractors just never even bothered calling back. So, Paul Krass stepped up to the challenge.

The house, which was built by Clifton Park’s Belmonte Builders in 1999, had served the family well since they bought it that same year. But the living room, family room, kitchen and dining room were all walled off from each other, and over time the space felt too closed-in. “The living room was totally boxed off,” J’Lene Krass says, and laughs, remembering that when her then-adolescent daughters were first learning to play piano, having walled-off rooms was kind of nice.

In 2009, the Krasses began major work — all by themselves. Well, almost. Paul took down walls, erected support beams, installed all-new hardwood floors, and even altered the chase so that the fireplace could fit in the living room.

“[Paul] didn’t have a childhood where he played, really,” J’Lene says. “He just worked on things. He got his tools at a very young age and just started building things. He’s just sort of always been good at that.” Paul, who’s from Montana, was in the Army for several years. J’Lene, who grew up in Idaho, says the family moved to Gansevoort a couple of years before buying the house in Saratoga. They’d been renting there. But when Paul left the Army to start his own consulting business, they took the opportunity to settle down here.

The kitchen was always a little frustrating for J’Lene. “The kitchen was small,” she says. “I didn’t have that much counter space, just one little area to work in. I had an upper counter space where people can sit, but, you know, you can’t really work on that.” When the walls came down and the kitchen space could be expanded, expanded it was: Paul installed all new cabinetry from Best Kitchen in Glens Falls and built his wife a huge, horseshoe-shaped island. (“At first I didn’t have any space. Now I have two islands!” she says.) And in the dining room, J’Lene points out a lovely china cabinet, which Paul built for her after they were first married.

While Paul took care of the major construction on the house, the Krasses hired Lynn Ricci of Classic Interiors in Clifton Park. They met her at a home show and absolutely fell in love and, for the most part, left the design up to her: all the furniture on the first floor was made by Classic Interiors and all the drapes and many of the rugs were also Ricci’s work.

Upstairs, in the master bedroom, Paul tore out a linen closet in the master bathroom and installed a luxurious walk-in shower and a jacuzzi. The girls’ former bedrooms have been converted to brightly-colored guest rooms, one a playful purple and the other a bright teal. Though the girls have moved out, the Krasses wanted their rooms to preserve a little bit of their spirit. And, down in the basement, they’re finishing a home theater and playroom, in which the Krasses — who became grandparents in the past couple of years — hope to entertain grandkids.

Because of Paul’s work, the couple travels a lot — they’ve been spending a lot of time in Houston, Texas — so future work on the house is suspended indefinitely. Having only finished the last renovations to the master bedroom in 2012, the Krasses don’t feel rushed to dive into a big new project. But when they do find themselves itching to get back to work on the house, they want to add a sunroom, mudroom and patio to the back.

When asked how long they think they’ll stay in this house in Saratoga, J’Lene says, “Forever. I don’t think we’ll ever leave.”